Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois prediction favors Illinois State to win in college football Week 7 [2026]

Southern Illinois will face the favored Illinois State in Week 7 college football action at Saluki Stadium on Saturday, with kickoff at 4:00 PM ET.

Dimers' proven college football model projects Illinois State as the most likely winner in this Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois prediction.

This article offers a closer look at Saturday's matchup, including an expanded look at the predicted score, best bets and picks.

Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois prediction and odds

Using innovative machine learning and data, we have re-simulated the result of Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois, forming part of our college football predictions coverage.

Our leading predictive model gives Illinois State a 64.9% chance of beating Southern Illinois. Our predicted final score has Illinois State winning 29-24. According to our model, Southern Illinois (+6.5) has a 52.3% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 54.5 points has a 52.1% chance of staying under.

Latest betting odds

We have sourced the best college football odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Spread: Illinois State -6.5 (-106) / Southern Illinois +6.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Illinois State -203, Southern Illinois +194
• Total: Over/Under 54.5 (+122/-130)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Model picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best current odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Spread: Southern Illinois +6.5 @ -115 via bet365
• Moneyline: Southern Illinois @ 34¢ via Novig
• Total: Over 54.5 @ 45¢ via Novig

According to our college football best bets, the top play to make on this game is Over 54.5 total points.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the current available odds.

Game info & kickoff details

Saturday's college football matchup between Southern Illinois and Illinois State at Saluki Stadium is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM ET.

• Who: Illinois State vs. Southern Illinois
• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Time: 4:00 PM ET/1:00PM PT
• Venue: Saluki Stadium

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Conclusion

We predict Illinois State, with a 64.9% win probability, will likely beat Southern Illinois in Saturday's college football matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.

This article's predictions and probabilities are generated by Dimers' proprietary College Football prediction model. Our editorial team reviews the resulting content for accuracy and presentation before publication.